5 Simple Ways to Add Seeds to Meals for Your Baby
I love using seeds to boost nutrition to just about any meal for babies! No, I’m not talking about fruit and vegetable see you need to plant in straight rows that need partial shade and sun to grow. I’m talking about delicious seeds that are ready to eat and can be served to babies!
Seeds are tiny but mighty when it comes to nutrition. They are packed with fiber, can be a great source of healthy fats, and vitamins and minerals like iron.
Seeds can be added to meals whether your are doing baby-led weaning or traditional spoon feeding. Most of these suggestions are geared toward a baby doing baby-led weaning. In this post we’ll talk about 5 ways to add tiny seeds to your baby’s meal to boost nutrition.
Simple seed additions to any meal for babies
I use chia seeds, hulled hemp seeds, and ground flax seeds most often to add nutrition, flavor, and texture to meals. These seeds are safe shapes and sizes for babies.
Other great seed additions that are appropriate for babies include ground sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Since whole, large seed is a choking hazard for babies and young children be sure to grind up any seeds that are larger than chia seeds.
Here are my favorite ways to boost nutrition, flavor, and texture to your baby’s meals with seeds.
1. Mix seeds into purees
Whether you are doing baby-led weaning, traditional spoon feeding, or a combination you can and should serve your baby purees! It’s beneficial to expose your baby to all textures and tastes. Purees don’t necessarily mean that you have to puree a fruit or vegetable.
Even yogurt qualifies as a puree which I add seeds to all the time. You can make a quick and easy yogurt parfait for babies by mixing plain yogurt, small berries or other fruit, and seeds into a bowl. Allow your baby to self-feed with their hands or pre-load onto a spoon for your baby.
2. Make chia seed pudding
My baby loves this mango chia seed pudding! You could easily use a different fruit and milk to switch up the flavors too. Chia pudding, or chia seed pudding as its full name, is simply chia seeds and usually some type of milk (dairy, coconut, almond, etc.).
3. Roll slippery foods in seeds
This tip is both nutritious and functional! Seeds add grip to slippery foods like sliced mango, pear, avocado, and other fruits. Simply sprinkle some seeds onto a plate and roll the slice of food in the seeds and serve to your baby!
4. Blend seeds into a smoothie or puree
In addition to sprinkling seeds onto almost anything, you can also blend them into a smoothie or puree to make a smoother texture. You can make a simple smoothie for babies by blending milk, plain yogurt, avocado, frozen fruit, and chia, flax or hemp seeds. Use less milk to get a thicker texture that your baby can use their hands or a spoon to scoop into their mouth.
5. Bake seeds into unsweetened baked goods
If your baby is like most babies and has a natural sweet tooth, you can boost the nutrition of baked goods by adding seeds before or after baking. For babies under the age of 2, use fruit such as unsweetened applesauce, bananas, or dates to sweeten baked goods. Avoid added sugar prior to age 2 to reduce the likelihood of preference for sweeter tastes and to get as much nutrition into each bite as possible!
Chia seeds, hemp seeds, and flax seeds can be added to most baked goods prior to baking without greatly changing the texture and taste. I also like to add seeds after by first spreading butter, cream cheese, yogurt, or ricotta cheese on a baked good such as a muffin, then sprinkle seeds on top.
Looking for more recommended baby-led weaning supplies? I have it all laid out for you in thisĀ baby-led weaning supply guide. Follow our baby-led weaning journey on instagramĀ @mydietitian.friend!
